


What Change Has Wrought

by katling



Series: Change Is Inevitable [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Civil War Team Iron Man, International Diplomacy, M/M, More tags and relationships added as I go along, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Steve Friendly, Politics, Sequel, moderated for my peace of mind, mostly Thor: Ragnarok compliant, not team Cap friendly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2020-06-28 10:33:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19810486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katling/pseuds/katling
Summary: After the events ofHave I Changed?, Tony, Stephen and the rest of the Avengers are preparing for the arrival of Thanos. This involves more than just training and recruiting as the world makes their life difficult (and sometimes easier). And the New Avengers get recruits both curious, wanted and unwanted.This is a sequel toHave I Changed?and may not make much sense if you haven't read that.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Whew, this has been a long time in coming, hasn't it? My brain apparently needed to see all of Endgame even though I probably won't be using much from it. 
> 
> I'm not going to promise any kind of update schedule due to various reasons but I will try and update as often as I can.

James – he much preferred James these days, Bucky was… not who he was anymore – sat in the antechamber outside the ICC court and tried not to fidget. His lawyer, a woman by the name of Gertrude Hildebrande, was sitting next to him, reading over something on her tablet, and he tried to let her calm demeanour settle his own nerves, though it wasn’t having as much of an effect as he would have hoped. His lawyer, he knew, wasn’t overly concerned about this hearing and much of James’ situation had been hashed out over the last year as he’d been undergoing treatment at Kamar-Taj. 

Gertie, as his lawyer preferred to be known (a nickname that never failed to make James smile – he’d known a Gertie back in the day, a feisty, fiery old woman who had been the one person in their neighbourhood who hadn’t been afraid to smack Stevie over the knuckles when he deserved it), had already fought the good fight in his name and almost all of his actions as the Winter Soldier had been cleared. A combination of FRIDAY and Betty Ross had dug into the SHIELD data dump and unearthed a large number of files about the Winter Soldier program which had gone a long way to clearing his name. His psychiatrist had contributed the rest.

James wasn’t sure how comfortable he was with that. He still felt tremendously guilty about what he’d done as the Winter Soldier. After months of therapy, he’d come to accept that Stevie actually had it half right – it hadn’t been _Bucky Barnes_ who had killed those people. That was true enough. If James had been in control, they wouldn’t have died. And therein lay the point that had taken him a long time to accept. He _hadn’t_ been in control. The Winter Soldier had.

And that had been a nasty surprise for everyone involved. The Winter Soldier wasn’t just a fancy name for the way they’d broken him down or for some form of conditioning. The Winter Soldier was an actual second persona existing within his mind, one created by a combination of the severe trauma and the serum he’d been given. That had been a breakthrough with some wide ranging effects. Not only did it benefit his own therapy but it had aided in Stevie’s therapy and had given Dr Banner some apparently much-needed peace of mind. 

As far as anyone could tell, a side effect of the serum was the potential for the creation of a secondary persona if some form of outside pressure was involved. In James, that secondary persona had been created in response to the trauma of the torture he’d experienced. HYDRA had wanted the Winter Soldier so the serum, in conjunction with his own mind, had created just that to protect him. His situation was most closely mirrored by Dr Banner’s circumstances, he just didn’t get all big and green, probably because they hadn’t used any radiation as a stressor. His had been the torture and the chair. 

They had yet to determine whether Stevie had developed a secondary persona with the combination of the serum and the vita rays, though there was some indication in the information about the Winter Core that had been killed by Zemo in Siberia that if the secondary persona was compatible with the primary persona, they could assimilate. James was pretty sure that’s what had happened with Stevie. The secondary persona was everything Stevie had ever wanted to be and he’d assimilated it without even realising what was happening. 

James and the Winter Soldier had never assimilated because they were too different. Not that James wasn’t grateful in a way for Winter’s presence. From what had been dug up, if Winter hadn’t been created, HYDRA had planned some more ‘robust’ procedures that probably would have destroyed his mind forever. But Winter was a stone cold assassin and soldier while James… well, James had never really wanted to even be a soldier in the first place. It had been the right thing to do at the time and James had accepted that but as good a sniper as he’d been, he had never intended to stay in the Army beyond the war. He’d have been happy to go home and just be an ordinary person.

So a major part of his therapy had been getting to know the Winter Soldier. He’d actually gotten to know Dr Banner pretty well over that time because of that and Bruce had given him a lot of good advice, much of which was said with the very rueful air of a man who’d learned these things the hard way.

Winter, as his secondary persona now preferred to be called, had been difficult to deal with at first, both for James and for his shrink, Henrietta. He’d been cold and callous, more Asset than person. James had been first alarmed, then he’d started to get scared of both Winter and himself and had become increasingly unwilling to cede control to the Winter Soldier in case something terrible happened. Finally Bruce had come to him with an odd expression on his face and a suggestion that had been quite startling – let the Hulk talk to the Winter Soldier.

Henrietta had been the first to recover and she’d slowly nodded and agreed with the idea as long as she could be present to mediate if necessary. James had taken some convincing and in the end, it had only been the thought that if anyone could stop the Soldier, it was the Hulk, that had made him agree. And even then, he had only said yes after he’d been assured that Betty would be just outside the door and she could calm the Hulk if anything went haywire on his end. She’d also rather impishly informed him that as a general’s daughter, she was actually an excellent shot and she was quite happy to tranquilise him if the Winter Soldier was the one causing the problem.

James had very firmly not paid any attention to the meeting but when the Winter Soldier had handed control back to him, he’d emerged to find Henrietta looking very pleased. From what she’d said, Winter had actually listened to the Hulk and for his part, the Hulk had had some very sage advice. It was hard to tell who was more nonplussed with that piece of news – himself or Bruce. But the end result had been a Winter Soldier who was more willing to unclench a bit and slowly, over the course of several months, James and Winter had come to something of an understanding. 

“Sergeant Barnes? Ms Hildebrand? We’re ready for you.”

James was jolted out of his thoughts and he hunched in on himself for a moment before his lawyer gave him a nudge and a small, encouraging smile. 

“You’ll be fine, James,” she said quietly as the clerk lead them into the ICC courtroom. 

James grimaced and managed a small nod as he looked around. He was surprised to find that the room didn’t look anything like he’d expected. Rather than the stereotypical courtroom that everyone knew, this was… just a room. There was a long table at one end where five men and women sat with sober but calm expressions and there was a smaller table facing them, which was clearly for James and his lawyer. They sat down and the white-haired man in the sitting in the middle of the group of judges smiled at him.

“Good morning, Sergeant Barnes, Ms Hildebrand. Thank you for coming. My name is Michel Dorn.” He then proceed to introduce the rest of the people at the table before clasping his hands together in front of him. “Now, has Ms Hildebrand told you about the decisions that have been made regarding your actions while under HYDRA’s control?”

James nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Do you have any questions about them?”

James hesitated and looked over at his lawyer. She nodded encouragingly and James turned back to the ICC people. “I… I don’t want to sound ungrateful but… I don’t understand.”

“Why you were exonerated?” Michel asked and when James nodded, he continued. “Firstly, I’d like to assure you that it was not a decision that was arrived at lightly. We gave full consideration to all the facts, both about the missions themselves and the information that was obtained from the SHIELD and HYDRA files and from your psychiatrists. Ultimately, the decision was made because you, Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, were not responsible for those crimes. Your body was, it is true, but you, personally, were not.” Dorn looked faintly amused. “And the Winter Soldier could not be charged for the crimes, which we all agreed he did commit, because at the time at which he committed them, he was not what the court would consider to be mentally competent. That is, he was not capable of making the decision about whether or not he would kill someone on his own. His will was not his own.”

Dorn looked sympathetic. “With neither of you having the free will to decide not to take the actions that HYDRA demanded of you, it was the decision of the court that holding you responsible would be entirely unfair. Both you and the Winter Soldier were tools used by HYDRA and thus the fault for those crimes ultimately lies with HYDRA.”

James nodded and let out a shuddering breath. He still wasn’t entirely convinced but hearing the words from an entirely unbiased and independent person – and seeing the rest of the judges all nodding in agreement – did go a long way to making the words actually sink in.

“Today we are here to examine the events of Bucharest, Berlin, Leipzig/Halle and Siberia,” Dorn said when James was silent. “We have had reports from various officials and groups involved in those events and we have also had reports from your psychiatrists and the Masters of the Mystic Arts regarding your mental state at the time.” He paused and looked down at the papers in front of him. “Dr Stark has indicated that he has no intention of pressing charges against you regarding the events in Siberia, however we would still like to hear your testimony as it will add to the pool of knowledge we are building.”

Now Dorn turned to James’s lawyer. “Ms Hildebrand, I trust you have informed your clients about their rights, including their right to say nothing at all.”

“I have,” Gertie said with a firm nod. “Sergeant Barnes has indicated to me that he wishes to testify but he asks that you are patient with him. The trauma he has experienced often makes it difficult for him to access memories and to articulate what he wishes to say, especially when it is about those traumatic events. The Winter Soldier has also indicated his willingness to testify and I believe you have received the paperwork regarding how to handle that?”

“We have,” Dorn said. “We believe it will be best to hear Sergeant Barnes’ testimony first and then the Winter Soldier. We can then allow a recess of perhaps a day or two to allow Sergeant Barnes to recover if we need to speak to him again.”

Gertie leaned in to him. “Is that suitable for you, James?”

James nodded. “Yes, I think so.”

“That will be fine,” Gertie said to Dorn. She then smiled wryly. “We’ll let you know if that changes.”

Dorn chuckled and there was a general shuffling of paper at the longer table then Dorn straightened a little. James tensed a little but he had to admit that he had expected things to be far worse. He’d expected an audience or the media or to be interrogated but this was… almost pleasant, if such a word was possible to be used under the circumstances. Still, he was aware that this was not going to much fun at all.

“Sergeant Barnes,” Dorn began. “You had been living in Bucharest for approximately nine months prior to the arrival of Steven Rogers at your apartment, is that correct?”

James nodded then remembered that Gertie had told him he needed to verbalise his answers for the official record. “Yes, sir.”

“What had you been doing?”

James shrugged. “Just… living really. Trying to… get my mind back in some sort of order. Living in Bucharest… HYDRA didn’t have a base there so it was as safe as possible. When I was running, moving, I was just… too tense, too paranoid and I… couldn’t _think_. But in Bucharest… I had a… there was a shop. I did odd jobs there. The owner didn’t ask questions and paid in cash. Just stopping… I didn’t have to look over my shoulder and it was… peaceful. I could think and try and remember things.”

He felt like he’d just rambled on and not answered the question but none of the judges looked annoyed and a couple of them were nodding with understanding.

“So you felt more clear-minded?”

“Not really,” James said. “But more like… I would in the future. I didn’t really remember who Bucky Barnes was but after a while in Bucharest, I started to remember.”

“You didn’t go and find Mr Rogers?”

James shook his head. “Stevie… I had only the vaguest memories of him. It was more that he seemed familiar, like I _should_ know him well, rather than actually knowing who he was. I went… when I was still in the US… to the museum to look at the display and… I saw… _myself_ in the pictures there and I didn’t recognise _me_.” He grimaced, trying to find the words he needed to explain. “Stevie… he expected me to remember him, to remember me. I knew that even from the short time I was aware back in DC. I didn’t know who Bucky Barnes was. I sure as hell couldn’t be the man he wanted me to be.”

“So you were surprised when he appeared at your door?”

“Yes,” James said with a nod. “I was…” He frowned as he thought back to that day. “I was frightened actually. I didn’t know how he’d found me and I was worried that if _he’d_ found me then how easy would it be for _HYDRA_ to find me again.”

“So would you describe yourself as panicked?” Dorn asked.

James considered that question then nodded. “Yes, a little. Worried and wanting to know how he found me so I could assess how much danger I was in.”

“And then what happened?”

“Stevie started talking about a bombing in Vienna and how people were coming to kill me and…” James frowned. “I got confused. I was so worried about HYDRA finding me that I thought he was talking about HYDRA.”

Dorn cocked his head. “You thought that the bombing in Vienna was done by HYDRA?”

“Yes… no.” James grimaced. “No, I was confused about that. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about and what the bombing had to do with people coming to kill me because I thought he was talking about two separate things. HYDRA wasn’t above bombing people but they usually tried to be less obvious. Bombings draw attention and it’s hard to hide the remains of a bomb. And the remains of a bomb can be too much of a signature.”

“So you knew nothing about the bombing in Vienna?”

“No,” James replied. “There was a TV in the apartment but I didn’t watch it much and I’d just been out at the market getting some food. I didn’t know about the bombing or that I was suspected of doing it.”

“So you had actually been seen earlier in the day?” Dorn asked. 

James nodded. “Yes. I’d done some work at the shop first thing in the morning and then I was at the market. Plenty of people saw me.”

Dorn made a few notes on a tablet then turned back to James. “What happened after Mr Rogers started talking about the Vienna bombing?”

“The… police arrived,” James said, shuddering a little. “They came in pretty hot and I… I panicked. Stevie was acting like they were the enemy and I…”

“Thought they were HYDRA?” Dorn asked when James didn’t continue.

“I… don’t know,” James replied. “I think there was an element of that. But mostly I was just… confused and the Winter Soldier was hammering at me and there was a lot of shouting and Stevie started attacking them.” He scrubbed his face with his hand. “I think I… Henrietta described it as fight or flight.”

Dorn nodded. “Was there anything else that affected your reaction?”

James thought about that then shook his head. “It was just… confusing and I panicked.” He grimaced. “Their uniforms were black.”

“That was an issue?”

“HYDRA strike teams wore black uniforms,” James said bleakly.

“Understood,” Dorn replied with some delicacy as almost all of the other judges winced.

The questions continued, always calm and even gentle at times, with some artfully elongated pauses where the judges would confer with each other that seemed to occur right when James was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. James might have been impressed and even a little intimidated at Dorn’s skill as an interrogator if he wasn’t clinging to his composure with everything he had. When it finally came time to hand over the reins to Winter, he was almost relieved to fade into the background, though he did linger to pay attention to what was happening.

“Now,” Dorn said, shuffling his papers. “You prefer to be referred to as Winter, am I correct?”

“Yes,” Winter said with a curt nod.

“Forgive me if we repeat things that you have already heard but the information we were given indicated that you – and in turn Sergeant Barnes – do not always… pay attention, as it were, when the other is in charge,” Dorn said. “I want to be certain you hear everything directly from us.”

Winter looked a bit startled for a brief moment then his normal blank expression took over again. “I usually pay attention if I might be needed. Bucky’s the same.”

There was a variety of intrigued looks when Winter said Bucky instead of James but none of them pursued it. Instead, Dorn nodded. “That does make sense. Now, you have, of course, been cleared of responsibility for your actions while under HYDRA control.”

“But I did it.”

“Could you have chosen not to?” Dorn asked pointedly.

Winter grimaced. “No.”

“And that is why you have been cleared of responsibility on the grounds of not being mentally competent. Mental competency requires you to have full, conscious and knowledgeable control over your actions.”

Winter frowned at that. “I guess.”

Dorn looked amused. “I’ve never met someone so reluctant to be exonerated.”

Winter shrugged. “I did it. All of it. I was controlled and leashed but I still did it.”

One of the other judges leaned forward, a raised eyebrow indicating her interest. “Do you regret it?”

Winter looked at her then shrugged and frowned. “Yes. And no. Like Bucky, I don’t really want to kill people. I didn’t want to kill _those_ people. The ones HYDRA made me kill. But trying to fight the control just made things worse and didn’t actually work anyway. The control was too tight. So I stopped fighting it, did what they wanted, protected Bucky and just tried to survive. I’m not going to apologise for wanting both of us to survive or for protecting Bucky. That’s what I was made for, after all.”

The judge considered that then nodded and snorted. “An honest answer.”

Winter shrugged. “That’s what I do.”

Dorn cocked his head curiously. “You said you were made to protect Bucky.”

Winter nodded. “Yes. Bucky’s mind was being destroyed by what HYDRA were doing. That’s when the serum kicked in and created me. But I wasn’t created to kill. I was created to protect Bucky. I did that by being obedient. By complying.”

“You knew this at the time?”

“About the serum?” When Dorn nodded, Winter shook his head. “No. I just knew I was there to protect Bucky. He wouldn’t stop fighting them and it was going to break him apart.” He snorted. “I suppose it did anyway. But I knew fighting them wouldn’t work. So I protected Bucky by complying and accepting the conditioning. It was the only way to save us both.”

“The parallels to Dr Banner and Hulk are remarkable,” the female judge from before said with something close to wonder.

Winter nodded. “We’ve talked about that.”

“So the conditioning and the control words,” the female judge asked. “How do they differ?”

“The conditioning was just…” He frowned and looked over at Gertie for help.

“Standard conditioning behaviour from everything we’ve been able to find,” Gertie said. “The sort of things cults and extremist groups use with great success. Punish outgroup behaviour and thinking, reward ingroup behaviour and thinking until it becomes ingrained. Only HYDRA punishment was severe torture techniques. That was why two of the psychiatric experts we called in are deeply involved in what’s commonly referred to as cult deprogramming.”

“And the control words?”

Gertie’s expression became sour and forbidding. “The psychiatrists are still arguing about what exactly to call it or whether they need to come up with an entirely new definition but in absolute laymen’s terms, it could be considered a kind of deep Pavlovian conditioning. It’s more complicated and complex than that but that’s what it is at its heart. The words are the bell and the obedience, the _compliance_ , is the…” She paused and the past word was said with deep disdain. “ _Reward_.”

“They used the chair for that bit,” Winter said bluntly.

The judges all reeled backwards with varying expressions of sick horror and disgust so Winter was pretty confident they’d all read the information packet they’d been given about the chair and its purpose.

“And your ability to break free of the control in Washington DC?” Dorn asked.

“That was Bucky,” Winter said. “He usually hid when they used the chair. He hated it. That’s what they used to create me and he’d experienced it a lot before then.” He paused and grimaced. “They’d stopped using it so frequently after 1991. Before that Bucky used to watch more, used to fight me for control.” He snorted. “I kept telling him to stop. That if they knew he was there, they’d only come after us both but he was stubborn. And stupid.”

“But after 1991?” Dorn prompted. “I presume it had something to do with the Starks’ deaths.”

Winter nodded. “Yes. He hated that. He was upset and didn’t know how we’d come back from that if we ever got free. He retreated after that. Since he wasn’t fighting for control and I was complying, they didn’t punish us as much.” He paused and looked away for a moment. “The punishment… the chair… it made all of… _us_ … go away. Bucky and me. _Me_ me. Not the Asset me.” He scowled. “I don’t know how to explain.”

“Dr Henrietta Marcus, James and Winter’s primary psychiatrist, describes it as Winter having started out as the Asset, as Soldat,” Gertie said, when Winter couldn’t find the words. “And having developed his own personality afterwards. In much the same way that Hulk was born out of fear and violence and at first that’s all he was and then, as time passed, became his own person, so too did Winter.”

The judges all nodded their understanding then Dorn said, “And Washington DC?”

“Because they hadn’t used the chair on us as much, Bucky had started to come back,” Winter replied. “In Washington DC, he saw Rogers but our memories were… hard to get to back then and while he knew that he _knew_ Rogers, that Rogers was important to him somehow, he couldn’t remember why.”

“And you?”

“Me what?”

“What did you think of Rogers?”

Winter shrugged. “He was the target. He fought hard. He obviously had the serum but he seemed to be himself only.”

“You had no opinion on him otherwise?” Dorn asked.

Winter shook his head. “Bucky’s the one that knows him, not me. HYDRA hated him so I knew he was the enemy so when Bucky started pushing forward, I… didn’t object that much. I kept control until it was all over but I did what Bucky wanted by saving Rogers from the river. Then we left. I told Bucky we needed to because we didn’t remember anything and HYDRA would be after us. Not that he knew it was me saying that at the time since he didn’t know about me. He just thought it was something he’d thought of. Anyway, we couldn’t know who to trust, not even Rogers.”

Dorn cocked his head again. “You don’t like Rogers?”

“No,” Winter said firmly. “But Bucky does, even if the man’s gone nuts.”

The woman judge leaned forward again, her expression curious. “From what you’ve just said… you always knew that you and Bucky were separate but he didn’t?”

Winter nodded. “That’s right. Bucky wasn’t even aware I existed until we started treatment at Kamar-Taj.”

“Why not?”

Winter paused and looked thoughtful. He went still for a moment then rolled his eyes. “Better if Bucky explains.”

There was no obvious indication that Winter had slid back into the background and James was now in control but they could still tell. Something about Barnes just seemed to soften in a way that defied explanation.

James licked his lips and swallowed hard. He didn’t much like talking about this but it seemed important that the judges understood.

“I… when Winter was created, I was… not in good shape,” he admitted. “I’d been… I hardly knew which way was up and Winter, when he speaks, sound just like me so I…”

“Thought it was your own thoughts?” the woman suggested.

James nodded. “I don’t think I was ever really in a position to work out what was happening.” He rather miserably scrubbed his face with his hand. “What they did…”

Dorn now held up one hand. “I don’t think we need to revisit that, Sergeant Barnes,” he said kindly. He gave James a steady look. “I think we’ll adjourn for the day. You look like we’ve dragged you backwards for six miles across some very rough ground. Which I suppose, in many ways, we have.” 

James nodded and gave the man a grateful look. Gertie patted his arm before she asked, “Will you need us back tomorrow?”

Dorn look at his fellow judges and they seemed to have an unspoken conversation. “Let’s play that by ear, shall we?” he said. “Stay at the hotel. If we need you, we’ll contact you. We may need to speak some more to Winter.”

Gertie nodded and she ushered James out of the room. He was happy to just let her take the lead and let himself drift. He didn’t really pull himself together until he heard Gertie made a startled noise and he looked up see Tony Stark leaning against the wall next to his hotel room door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Bucky talk. It goes surprisingly well.

“Mr Stark,” Gertie said politely even as she sidled slightly in front of James. The action would have made James laugh at any other time. Gertie wasn’t small but she was still an unlikely shield for someone like him.

From the way Stark’s lips twitched, he had noticed Gertie’s actions and was more amused than anything else. “Stephen keeps telling me I don’t need to do this,” Stark began.

James was confused for a moment then he realised that ‘Stephen’ must be Dr Strange. He’d heard from some of the other sorcerers that Stark and Strange were very much an item, with Strange spending most of his time in either New York or the Compound, but he hadn’t really considered it any further than that. It was none of his business, after all, and frankly, he was the last person in the world who should be commenting on anything related to Tony Stark.

“But I disagree with him,” Stark continued as he zoned back in. Stark pushed himself off the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked away for a moment, his expression sombre and thoughtful, before he turned back to them. “Half the reason everything went to shit last time was because there wasn’t enough _talking_ going on and I think it’s about time that Barnes and his frosty friend and I had a chance to just… talk.”

Gertie had listened to all of that without moving from her position in front of James and now she cocked her head. “And is Dr Strange here?”

Tony shrugged. “Yep. He’s upstairs in our room.” He paused. “Bruce is here too. He thinks this is a good idea and Brucie bear has always been better at the squishy stuff than I am.” He paused again and this time he also cocked his head. “Jolly green thinks it’s a good idea as well and when the Hulk thinks talking is better than smashing… well, I’m not inclined to argue with him.”

Tony yanked a hand out of his pocket and sort of flailed it around with deceptive idleness. “Of course, all of this is predicated on the idea that Barnes and co want to talk to _me_.” He shrugged. Again, he looked uncaring but James could see that he was tense and uncertain. Gertie could as well from the way her posture softened slightly. “Consent is a good thing, I always say,” Tony finished as he rocked on his heels for a moment.

Gertie glanced over her shoulder at him. “James?” she said softly.

James nodded. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I’m… I think we should talk.”

“Do you want me to stay?”

James considered that question carefully then finally shook his head. “No, it’s okay.”

Gertie looked troubled but then finally nodded. “Alright.” She fixed Stark with a stern look. “I trust you will behave, Mr Stark?”

The smile on Stark’s face was faint but James saw it anyway. “Cross my mechanical heart,” he said, making a criss-cross gesture over his chest.

Gertie shot him a look that was part amusement, part reproof and part warning then she patted James on the arm. “Don’t be afraid to kick him out,” she murmured before heading down the corridor to her own room.

“She’s moderately terrifying,” Stark said, rocking back and forth on his heels once more. He’d said it just loudly enough that Gertie was able to hear it and she stopped to give them both a smug smile that drew a laugh from Stark and made James smile a little.

“Yeah,” he said, feeling awkward. He waved towards the door to his room. “Shall we…?”

Stark nodded and James realised that he was feeling just as awkward. It made him relax a little. “Sure,” Stark said. “Better than having this conversation out in the corridor.”

James fumbled his keys out of his pocket and opened the door. He gestured for Stark to enter then followed the man inside. The hotel room wasn’t quite a suite but it was larger than the standard room. It had good views and thick heavy curtains on the windows, both of which he appreciated for different reasons. He waved for Stark to sit down in one of the armchairs then gingerly sat down himself. For a moment, an awkward silence reigned then James decided he had to say something that Stark might not want to hear.

“I’m sorry,” he said. He swallowed hard. “Not just for… for… your parents but also for Siberia. I shouldn’t have… I should have just surrendered.”

He could see the way the unease rippled over Stark and the man looked away. “Nah,” he said. “I should be the one apologising for Siberia.”

James’ jaw dropped. “No!” he almost yelped. “You... you have nothing to apologise _for_.”

Stark scowled. “I tried to kill you.”

James couldn’t help the snort that escaped him. “Hardly. HYDRA had a file about three inches thick on you and the suit. I know what it could do and what you could do. If you’d wanted me or Stevie dead, we’d _be_ dead.”

Stark looked startled and then a complicated expression crossed his face before he closed up and the neutral look returned. He looked like he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say but mostly that he couldn’t deny what James was saying. Finally, he sighed and slumped down in his seat, scrubbing his face with one hand.

“No, I didn’t want you dead,” he admitted. “I wanted you to hurt – you _and_ Rogers – just as much as I was. But I didn’t want you dead.” He snorted and a sour expression settled on his face. “Pity your bestie didn’t feel the same.”

James shook his head. “I don’t know who Stevie is now but he’s not the man I remember.” He glanced over at Stark. “Do you… know about what they discovered?”

“That the serum causes a split personality of sorts?” Stark nodded. “Yeah. Never seen Brucie bear look so relieved. It’s actually done wonders for his relationship with green bean.”

“I think Stevie assimilated with his secondary personality because it was what he’d always wanted to be,” James said. “Strong, certain, confident. All that.”

Stark nodded. “Yeah, I saw that.” He sighed and shook his head as if clearing his thoughts. “But that’s not why I came here. I want to make you an arm.”

James blinked, wondering if he’d heard that right. “You what?”

“I want to make you an arm,” Tony repeated.

“ _Why_?”

Tony shrugged casually but his body language very clearly said he was being anything but casual. “It’s… what I do. Besides I’ve seen that HYDRA piece of crap and I can do a thousand times better.”

“Mr Stark…” James began.

“Urgh. It’s Tony. Mr Stark is my dad,” Tony interrupted him to say.

That caught James for a moment. “Tony,” he continued. “You don’t have to…”

“I know,” Tony said firmly. “I know that. And Stephen’s said that and Rhodey and Bruce and Betty and Hope and Pepper and just about everyone else I know. But I want to.”

“Why?” James asked a little helplessly.

Tony looked away and his fingers rattled on the arm of the chair in a nervous gesture. “It’s what I do,” he said softly. “I’m a mechanic. I fix things. I can’t fix what happened to you. I can’t fix what happened to me. No one can. But I can fix your arm.” He looked at James now and there was something soft and gentle in his gaze. “And I think my Mom would want me to.”

“But…” James’ chest felt tight and his throat was thick. “I killed her.”

“No,” Tony replied, still in that soft, gentle tone. “HYDRA killed her. They gave the order and forced Winter to do it, while you were along for the ride, unable to stop it. I know that now. I _know_ that. You’re not to blame. Winter isn’t to blame. And I… I forgive you.”

The words hit James like bullets from a gun and they almost felt as painful as well. He could feel himself gasping and there were tears in his eyes that he was unable to stop from falling. But at the same time, he felt lighter, like he’d been given a benediction, like a huge awful weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

When he finally got himself under control and had wiped his face clean, he saw that Tony was poking at his phone and seemingly not paying much attention.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice still a little hoarse. “And if you’re willing, I would like that arm. I don’t know if I want to fight but it would be nice to be able to do things for myself.”

Tony nodded. “Okay. We’ll… sort that out when you’re finished here.” He grimaced. “As for the fighting, you may not be able to avoid it.”

James’ eyes widened and he looked a little alarmed. “What do you mean?”

“This isn’t confirmed,” Tony replied. “But the word I’ve heard is that the ICC panel is prepared to exonerate you for everything that happened in Bucharest, Berlin and Leipzig/Halle if you’re willing to… protect the Earth.”

There was something about the phrasing of that last bit that made James’ protests die on his lips. “Protect the Earth?”

Tony scrunched his nose and James almost laughed at that action. It was a ridiculously cute action for a man as strong and powerful as Tony Stark.

“Stephen told me you’d been… avoiding a lot of the news,” he muttered, more to himself than to James but with his enhanced hearing, he picked it up easily. He took a deep breath and let it out again. “How much do you know about Thanos?”

James frowned. “I’d heard he was some sort of alien who wants to attack Earth but I… didn’t pay much attention after that because it was making me panic and that… wasn’t good for me at the time.”

Tony nodded as if he understood and for all James knew, he did. “Well, that’s the important part of it anyway. Thanos is coming here because he wants the Infinity Stones and we’ve got three of them on the planet.”

James nodded slowly. “Okay. So how does that involve me?”

Tony sighed and slouched down in his chair. “Quite frankly, most people are pretty much inclined to exonerate you. You’ve had enough shit go on in your life that most people don’t really feel inclined to hold you responsible for Rogers’ poor choices.”

“Most people,” James said carefully, ignoring the mention of Stevie. He suspected Tony would very much like him to avoid the subject of Stevie just in general.

“Romania are still a little put out,” Tony replied. “Germany are generally understanding in regards to Berlin and T’Challa, Hope and I took care of things at the airport. But the stuff in Bucharest is the main issue.”

“Because we collapsed the bridge,” James said quietly.

“Yeah,” Tony said. “And people died.”

James winced. “So…?”

“So, if what I’ve heard is correct – and it may not be, they may change their mind after hearing from you – they’re going to put a condition on exonerating you of you defending the Earth against Thanos.” He paused for a moment. “With the Avengers.”

James froze and gaped at Tony. “You can’t possibly want that,” he blurted before he could stop himself.

Tony didn’t reply immediately. Instead he looked thoughtful as he slouched in his chair. “If you’d said that even six months ago, you’d have been right but now…” He smiled slightly. “They say time heals all wounds. Not sure that’s entirely right but it seems to be the case here.”

James frowned and looked down at the floor. “I don’t understand.”

Tony licked his lips. “I’ve met with your shrink a couple of times. Don’t worry, she hasn’t violated your privacy at all, but she felt there were things I needed to know.”

Suddenly, the times when Henrietta had asked for his permission to discuss certain things they talked about with other people made sense. He’d always given the permission. She’d asked him if he wanted to know who she’d be talking to and he’d always said no. He didn’t care. He trusted Henrietta and knew she’d always be careful with what she said and would do nothing to compromise him. It had never occurred to him that one of the people she’d be talking to would be Tony. When he thought about it now, he was glad. They were probably things he could never have managed to talk about with the man.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “And they… helped?”

Tony nodded. “I was a weapons manufacturer for years. I know the difference between a weapon and the one wielding it. You were a weapon, you had no choice, neither you nor Winter. That was mostly what Henrietta talked to me about – how they turned you into a weapon.” He smiled faintly. “She’s a smart woman. She came at it in a way that would let me think without getting caught up in the emotions.”

“She’s very good,” James said softly.

Tony nodded again. “I thought for years that my Dad had killed my Mom. That he’d been drinking and gotten behind the wheel and killed her with his carelessness. I blamed him for that for years. As bad as it is to know that HYDRA killed them, it also helps in a weird way. I blamed my Dad for years and it wasn’t his fault. There are a lot of things I can legitimately be pissed off about regarding Dad and what he did and how he treated me but at least I can exonerate him for _that_ now.” He looked up now, catching James’ eyes and his expression was strangely gentle. “That actually means a lot.”

“I don’t remember much about him,” James said quietly. “From back… before. He had more to do with Peggy and Stevie than with the rest of the Howlies. From what I do remember, most of the time we saw him, he was being pretty… upbeat, getting us whatever we needed.” He shook his head. “Don’t remember much other than that.”

“I sometimes wish I could have known the man you and Rogers did,” Tony said with a small frown. He sighed and shrugged. “I also wish I could have gotten to know him as an adult. Maybe we’d have gotten along with each other better.” He met James’ eyes and smiled wryly. “We mostly spent our time arguing and being sarcastic at each other.”

James chuckled. “I’ve heard sarcasm is kind of your default.”

Tony grinned. “Pretty much.”

A silence fell that wasn’t entirely uncomfortable. James was grateful for that. 

“I’ll fight,” he said, breaking that silence. “To protect the Earth.”

Tony nodded thoughtfully. “You should also know that there’s a chance they may extend some sort of amnesty to Rogers.”

James grimaced. “Why? Wasn’t he found guilty?”

“He was,” Tony replied. “That won’t change. It’ll be a temporary amnesty for the purposes of any fighting that goes on. He won’t be free and he won’t get to stay free. At best, he might knock a few years off his sentence if he behaves himself and doesn’t cause trouble and we actually win.”

James shifted in his chair and stared at the floor again. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. A small part of him, all that was left of the Bucky Barnes from the Forties, felt pleased but the rest of him – and what he could feel of Winter lurking in the back of his mind – was worried and concerned.

“What about the others?” he asked, stalling for time a little.

Tony shrugged. “Wilson isn’t going to get any concessions. The wings belong to the Air Force and SI and we’ve already found a new pilot for them. One who actually follows the rules of the Avengers Initiative. Lang’s already in. Since he was the only other one of Rogers’ lot who showed any sense, he got off the easiest. He’s been working with us for a while now. Barton’s too volatile to be of any use and no one trusts Romanov enough to let her out. And Maximoff is dead.”

James shuddered at the mention of the witch. He hadn’t known anything about her back in Germany. Henrietta had been the one to tell him about her, that she’d willingly worked with HYDRA, that her primary power was mind manipulation. That had been a bad week. That news had set Winter off in a bad way and the sorcerers had been forced to shift them into the mirror dimension for a short period of time while he let Winter out so that he could let of steam and then so that Henrietta could sort things out.

Turned out that while James didn’t remember the witch, Winter _did_. She’d been brought in during one of their bad periods. James only vaguely remembered it. It was one of the few times that Winter had exerted pressure on him to shut up and hide in their mind and then, when he’d objected, had forced him down and quiet. Apparently that had been all that had protected them both from being discovered by the witch but she’d given Winter a bad enough time as it was. It had taken Henrietta a moment to realise that not only was Winter angry, he was _scared_. That alone was enough to make James very, very glad that the witch was dead. If she hadn’t been, he had a sneaking suspicion that Winter would have taken them rogue to make sure of it and that could have been a disaster.

“So just me and Stevie,” he murmured.

“Well, super soldiers might actually be useful against Thanos’ forces,” Tony said. He cocked his head. “You know, if you really don’t want to fight, we’ll try and get something else done.”

James straightened a bit and stared at Tony for a moment. “That’s… that’s not your fight.”

Tony shrugged. “Told you before. I’m really big on consent. And it’s not consent if you’re forced into it.”

James was about to protest again but the look on Tony’s face made him sit back and really think about it. He’d never wanted to be a soldier but that choice had been taken out of his hands, first by the war and then by HYDRA. But he could fight and he was good at it. He also had a lot of blood on his hands. He could accept that he hadn’t had a choice but it was still his body and his hands that had done the deed. Protecting the Earth would be a good way to make up for that.

“No,” he said slowly. “It’s okay. I can fight. Winter and I are good at it. And this isn’t a… stupid thing to fight for. This is a very good thing to fight for.” He raised his head and looked at Tony. “I’ll fight.”

Tony nodded. “Okay. Just remember that when they put the offer on the table. Probably won’t be immediately. They’ll need to sell it to those countries that are still upset.”

“What about the rest of the Avengers,” James asked. “Are they okay with this?”

“Yeah, they are actually,” Tony said, surprising James a little. “I mean, there are a couple who may have some words with you but that’s just for the sake of it more than anything serious.”

James’s lips quirked into half a smile. “That’s okay. I probably deserve it.”

Tony snorted. “Don’t tell my honeybear that. He’ll never let it go.”

“Your… honeybear?” James said with a confused frown.

“Rhodes,” Tony said with a snicker. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.”

James was surprised to find that he actually liked that idea. He’d made a few friends among the sorcerers but they were busy with their studies. He liked the idea of making friends among the Avengers, since they seemed to be willing to accept him. He was startled out of these thoughts when Tony abruptly stood.

“I should go,” he said. “Stephen’s probably worrying a hole in the carpet and I’m sure your lawyer is lurking outside and waiting to see if she’s going to have to stake me to a wall or something.”

“I… don’t think she’d actually do that,” James said, getting to his feet and walking with Tony towards the door.

“Never underestimate a lawyer,” Tony said sagely. “They’re tricky.”

James chuckled and held the door open for Tony. The other man gave him an awkward nod and he watched as Tony stuck his hands in his pockets and sauntered towards the lifts. He closed the door softly and leaned against it. That had gone better than he could have ever expected and for the first time in a _long_ time, he actually had some hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Winter kinda of stayed out of this conversation but he and Tony will have opportunities to talk later. 
> 
> And the next chapter will have more about Tony's side of things. Basically? Tony was nowhere near as confident and comfortable as he was putting on, at least not at first. By the end, he was feeling a lot better. But you'll see more in the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Stephen talk and Stephen tries some positive reinforcement. Then there is a Winter-shaped interruption.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, I'm sorry this has taken so long, I've had some RL issues that have kind of been consuming my mind and getting in the way of my longer stories. The Christmas/New Year break gave me an opportunity to get some control over things so I'm hoping that there will be more regular updates from now on.

Tony didn’t realise he was shaking until the elevator doors closed behind him. He’d raised his hand to swipe it through his hair and had stopped halfway, just staring at it in confusion as it trembled. He wasn’t nervous, he knew that. He hadn’t been nervous waiting to speak to Barnes or even during the whole thing. So why was he shaking? It wasn’t until the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open that he realised that it wasn’t nerves, it was reaction. Reaction to seeing his parents’ killer, to finally, _really_ accepting that Barnes wasn’t to blame, to the whole conversation.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood there before an equally trembling hand, albeit for different reasons, wrapped around one of his and pulled him forward. He blinked and saw the scars on the other hand and just let himself fall forward into Stephen’s embrace. He let himself be guided into their suite and then down to sit on the couch. Stephen didn’t say anything, didn’t ask questions or for explanations. He simply held on and let the reaction run its course.

When the trembling finally subsided, Tony stayed where he was and leaned into Stephen’s embrace. There was a time he’d have run from this, gotten up, made some stupid excuse and practically run screaming from this kind of intimacy. Those days were long gone, at least with Stephen. He’d gotten over the fear (mostly anyway) that Stephen would use it, see it as a weakness and mock him or worse, leave him entirely, scorning him as weak and useless.

“I’m not sure if this means it went well or badly,” Stephen finally said, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over both of them.

“It was… good,” Tony said, almost wonderingly. “I don’t know what I was expecting but it was… good.”

“Not an interview with the bogeyman then,” Stephen said wryly.

Tony chuckled and shook his head. “No, bit hard to see Barnes as the bogeyman when he looks more like a kicked puppy than a fearsome assassin.”

“That’s an interesting description.”

Tony snorted. “You didn’t see him. I think he actually thought I’d come to finish the job from Siberia.”

Stephen chuckled softly but didn’t look terribly surprised. He wasn’t personally involved in Barnes’ treatment. Given his relationship with Tony, it wouldn’t be ethical. Or, as he’d told Wong, fair for Barnes. The man shouldn’t have to worry about whether a vengeful lover might come after him for saying the wrong things. But Wong did keep him up to date in a general sort of manner since he was Sorcerer Supreme and the goings on at Kamar-Taj did fall under his responsibility.

“It was a valid fear,” he said calmly. “You two didn’t exactly part on good terms.”

Tony grumbled and shrugged. “I know.”

“But it went well?”

Tony was silent for a moment. “Yeah. He’s… not what I expected. The stories I heard growing up made him seem a bit larger than life and, well, Rogers’ actions didn’t paint him in a good light either, through no fault of his own as I can see now. But the man himself? He’s… lost as far as I can tell.”

“Not all that surprising,” Stephen replied. “Given what was done to him, he’s not the man he was before he fell. It’ll take time to find his footing.”

“He wants the arm,” Tony said suddenly.

Stephen arched an eyebrow. “Of his own accord?”

Tony scowled at him. “Yes,” he said firmly. “I told him he didn’t have to take it, didn’t have to fight, didn’t have to do _anything_ he didn’t want to do. He said the fight against Thanos was a good thing to fight for. And the arm…” He shrugged then snuggled into Stephen a bit more. “You know it doesn’t come with any strings attached. That HYDRA thing is a piece of shit and he deserves to have two arms. I can make him an ordinary one for now and upgrade it to a battle-ready arm when it’s needed.”

Stephen nodded and hummed slightly. “You know _you_ don’t have to do this? Shuri would be happy to do it all herself.”

Tony sighed and wriggled around until he was straddling Stephen’s lap. The sorcerer looked amused and very appreciative as he let his hands rest on Tony’s hips.

“I know,” Tony said with a huff. “Everyone’s been very adamant about that. I _know_. I’ll tell you what I told Barnes. I want to do this. It’s what I do. I fix things. I can’t fix all the shit that’s already happened, but I can fix his arm.”

“So, this is all completely selfish,” Stephen said with amusement.

“Yep,” Tony said, grinning. “Utterly selfish. I just want to show off.”

“Uhuh.” Stephen chuckled. “Of course you do. What are you going to say to the panel tomorrow?”

Tony shrugged. “Probably not much. It’s just a proforma sort of thing to officially enter into the record that I have no intention of pressing charges against Barnes regarding the Siberia mess. There’ll probably be a few questions about why, since I _did_ press charges against Rogers, and maybe a few about the airport mess but it shouldn’t take too long.”

“This is essentially the last of it then,” Stephen murmured.

“Finally,” Tony said with a sigh. “Not that I’ve begrudged Barnes the time he needed to get his head on straight since it allowed me time to do more or less the same, but I haven’t much liked having it hanging over my head.”

“Did you mention the possibility of joining the Avengers?”

Tony nodded. “He was a bit surprised at that but he said he was willing.” He cocked his head slightly. “Might not last beyond the whole Thanos thing. He seems pretty eager to just… stop fighting. What surprised _me_ was his distinct lack of enthusiasm when I mentioned that Rogers might get that temporary amnesty they’re kind of discussing.”

“I’d always thought it was less _co_ -dependence between those two and more a case of Rogers being dependent on Barnes with not so much of the vice versa,” Stephen said with a shrug. “Didn’t you say Barnes seemed to be getting along perfectly fine on his own after DC?”

“You mean apart from the paranoia about HYDRA finding him?” Tony said dryly.

Stephen grinned. “Is it paranoia when HYDRA really _were_ trying to find him?”

“Probably not,” Tony said with an amused snort. “I suppose you’ve got a point though. The panel were supposed to be asking about that today so it’ll be in the transcript. You think the whole ‘til the end of the line, BFFs thing was one-sided?”

“Not entirely,” Stephen conceded. “But more that Barnes seems more willing and capable of moving on and living life for himself than Rogers was. Or at least, that’s the impression I get.”

Tony considered that. “Barnes did have the advantage of being _awake_ , for lack of a better word, for more of the last seventy years. He didn’t exactly have the same dislocating time jump that Rogers did.”

“There is that but that doesn’t change my point.”

“You might be right,” Tony said then he shook his head ruefully. “I suppose we’ll find out.”

“You know that Rogers doesn’t _have_ to stay at the Compound if they offer him the amnesty,” Stephen said.

“I know,” Tony replied, grimacing. “But where else is secure enough to hold a super soldier?”

“Not many places but that could be changed,” Stephen replied.

“And when he finds out Barnes is at the Compound and goes berserk?”

Stephen shrugged, looking utterly unconcerned. “He breaches the terms of his amnesty and goes back to prison.” He brought one hand up to cradle Tony’s cheek. “He is _not_ your problem anymore. If factions within the UN want a spare super soldier around just in case, then he can be _their_ problem.”

Tony drew in a deep breath then closed his eyes as he let it out slowly. Stephen, Rhodey, Pepper and many others had been saying the same thing to him ever since the first whispers of the amnesty had been heard. He’d understood what they were saying and even agreed with it but there had been competing whispers in his head. Some old ones that insisted that he take care of the Avengers that he was getting better at ignoring and some newer, more insistent ones that suggested that Barnes would want this. But Barnes _didn’t_ seem to want it and that was making it easier to ignore those voices on the head.

“Okay,” he finally said as he opened his eyes.

“Okay?” 

“He can be the UN’s problem.”

Stephen smiled. He slid his hand around the back of Tony’s neck and pulled into a light kiss. “Good.”

“Mmm, positive reinforcement,” Tony said with a cheeky grin. “I’m a sucker for positive reinforcement.”

Stephen chuckled as he worked his spare hand under Tony’s shirt to splay it against the warm skin of his back. “I know.”

This time the kiss was more heated and Tony ground down into Stephen’s lap, making them both groan. Tony was about to suggest a strategic relocation when there was a knock on the door.

“Shit,” Tony said, resting his forehead against Stephen’s for a moment before he carefully climbed off his lover’s lap.

“I’ll agree with that,” Stephen said sourly. “Do you think they’ll just go away?”

“It’s probably Brucie bear,” Tony said as he took a few deep breaths to calm down and will away the evidence of how Stephen had affected him. Once he was certain he was decent, he headed over to the door. “He said something about wanting to check in afterwards.”

Tony opened the door but it wasn’t Bruce on the other side. And after a moment, he realised it wasn’t Barnes standing there either. It was Winter, who had been oddly quiet during his whole conversation with Barnes. For a moment, they just stood there and stared at each other, then Tony cleared his throat.

“Uh, want to come in?”

Winter hesitated, looking uncertain. “If I’m welcome,” he said, his voice low and blank compared to Barnes’ more animated tones.

“Sure,” Tony said, even though he honestly really _wasn’t_ sure. Barnes was one thing but Winter… Winter was the one who had _actually_ killed his Mom.

Winter gave a one-shouldered shrug and hesitated until Tony stepped aside and gestured for him to enter. Only then did the former assassin walk in. He came to an almost immediate halt and Tony peered around him to see Stephen standing in the middle of the room, his eyes narrowed suspiciously and with the Cloak now attached to him and billowing with a faint air of menace.

“Tony?” Stephen said carefully.

“It’s okay,” Tony replied, slithering past Winter’s immobile bulk. “It’s Winter. He didn’t make an appearance when I was talking to Barnes, so I guess he has some things he needs to say.”

“Right,” Stephen said, still eyeing Winter warily. “And do you want to listen to them?”

Tony paused and cocked his head as he considered that. “Hmm, yes, I think I do.”

Stephen nodded slowly. He took a seat in one of the armchairs, looking almost regal and every inch the Sorcerer Supreme. Tony grinned ruefully at him and sat down on the couch. He waved a hand in Winter’s direction.

“Have a seat. Or not, as you like.” He glanced over at Stephen then back to Winter. “Don’t mind him. He’s a little overprotective.”

“Only because you have the survival instincts of a mayfly,” Stephen groused.

Tony opened his mouth to complain but Winter got in first.

“He is correct and should stay. Your survival instincts are terrible.”

Both Tony and Stephen stared at him for a moment then Stephen’s face softened fractionally while Tony sputtered indignantly.

“They are not!” he finally protested.

Winter snorted. “You could have killed us on twenty-three separate occasions in Siberia. You should have. But you didn’t.”

An awkward silence fell in the room. Tony licked his lips and sighed. “I never wanted to kill you, Frosty. Either of you. Any of you. But definitely not you or Barnes. Make you hurt, sure, but kill you? No.”

“And Rogers?”

Tony’s eyebrow ticked upward. “Well, that was a little more borderline for a moment there but ultimately, no.”

Winter frowned thoughtfully as though he was trying to understand. “I killed…”

Tony held up a hand. “Okay, going to stop you there, Tasty-Freeze. You heard what I said to Barnes, right?” Winter nodded and Tony continued, “What I said to him stands for you too. HYDRA is to blame, not you, not Barnes.”

Winter’s frown deepened. “But…”

“You were a victim,” Tony said firmly. “Created to protect Barnes, which, frankly, you did pretty damn well, all things considered.” He sighed and leaned back. “I don’t blame you. I did for a fair while there, I’ll admit, but that’s what therapy is for and Stephen managed to convince me to give it a try.” He levelled a steady look at Winter. “I forgive _you_ as well, you know.”

Winter went very still and silent and his face closed off entirely. He looked like he was about one step away from murdering them all but when Tony and Stephen exchanged glances, they both silently agreed that this was, in fact, Winter having his own mild breakdown over what Tony had said.

A moment later, Winter sat down on the chair opposite Tony. “Thank you,” he said stiffly.

Tony smiled wryly. “No problems, Snowflake. So, what actually brings you here?”

Winter was silent for a moment, staring down at where his fists were clenched on his knees. “Rogers,” he finally said, raising his head to look at them both.

“What about him?” Tony asked.

“They’re not really planning on letting him out, are they?” Winter said with a contemptuous curl of his lips. “He’s dangerous and a loose cannon. He won’t do what they want if it conflicts with what he wants.”

“They are aware of that,” Stephen said, drawing Winter’s attention. “His release will be temporary and conditional. Any breach of the conditions will have him incarcerated again, immediately.”

Winter looked unconvinced and Tony leaned forward and got his attention. “You don’t like him.”

“No,” Winter said with a shake of his head. “I don’t really know him but I don’t like what I’ve seen. Bucky tells me he was different once but I’ve seen Bucky’s memories. Rogers wasn’t different, he was just smaller.”

Tony gave a surprised laugh. “That’s one of the most succinct summations of Rogers I’ve ever heard.” He cocked his head again. “Just diverting the subject into some dangerous territory because it occurs to me you might actually have an answer for this…”

“Tony,” Stephen began. “What are you…?”

“It’s okay,” Tony interrupted. “Winter doesn’t have to answer. It’s just that he might be the only one who I can trust give me an honest answer to my question.”

“About…” Winter began.

“My parents’ deaths,” Tony said firmly but with an edge about him that said louder than words that while he might be generally at peace about it these days, it was still a touchy subject. “Or rather… who knew before and who knew after.”

Winter’s eyes narrowed. “You’re asking about someone specifically.”

Tony was silent for a long moment, his jaw working as he stared at the floor. “Yeah,” he said heavily. “Peggy Carter. Did she know, either before or after?”

“She was not involved,” Winter said then he paused. “However, HYDRA felt comfortable that they could… control her. They believed they could divert her attention and convince her to not investigate too closely. That they could convince her that having Howard Stark out of the way would be beneficial to her and SHIELD.”

“How?” Tony said with a frown.

“They had someone close to the Starks,” Winter replied. “That was what I overheard as they were bringing me out of cryo.”

Tony frowned at him then he linked and sucked in a startled breath. “Did they say who?” he asked, his voice unsteady.

Winter shook his head. “Not in my hearing. All I know it that it was a man and that he was in a position to have a great deal of control over Stark Industries and yourself.”

Tony jerked to his feet and started pacing. Winter didn’t move and Stephen watched him gravely.

“Tony?” Stephen finally said.

“Stane,” Tony replied as he came to a halt. “I… after Afghanistan, after I found out that he was responsible for that, I did a clean-up of the company. Got rid of his cronies and generally cleaned house. I figured out that he’d been manipulating me for years but this…”

“Changes nothing,” Stephen said calmly. “It just gives you some clarity about the reasons why.”

Tony nodded absently, clearly thinking. He then turned to Winter. “You said HYDRA had him. Was he _actually_ HYDRA?”

Winter went still as he rummaged through his memories of the time. They were jumbled and some weren’t entirely clear but he could access enough for his purposes right now. “I can’t say for sure. He was an ally certainly, enough that they could rely on him to assist with the cover-up and say he’d witnessed the accident but I didn’t get the impression that he was HYDRA in truth. Just a useful ally.”

“I suppose that’s marginally better,” Tony said sourly. “But only marginally.”

He sighed and turned his back on the other two men. He couldn’t say he was overly happy with Winter’s answers but at least he could say with a fair amount of certainty that his Aunt Peggy hadn’t been directly involved in either his parents’ deaths or the immediate cover up. He’d had so many people betray him that he’d take that small measure of comfort, even if there were implications that she’d taken advantage of what had happened. 

He drew in a deep breath then let it out slowly, allowing it to take some of his tension with it. He returned to the couch and sat down, giving Stephen a small smile and nod before he turned his attention back to Winter.

“Thank you. That… that helps.”

“Did HYDRA try and get anyone else close to Tony?” Stephen asked sharply.

Winter cocked his head to one side thoughtfully. “No. Or at least nothing was ever said to that effect where I could hear it. What little I remember indicates that they felt their ally was sufficient.” He smirked faintly. “They were also afraid of him, even more so after Afghanistan.”

“Because of Iron Man?” Tony asked.

Winter shook his head. “No, because you escaped. HYDRA had an association with the Ten Rings. They knew how ruthless Raza was. There was always discussion about whether it might be worth kidnapping you but they were mostly discarded because things worked well the way they were. But they were always confident they could hold onto you if they did decide to kidnap you. Your escape from the Ten Rings shattered that confidence.”

Tony frowned. “Raza might have been ruthless but a lot of his men were not exactly the sharpest crayons in the pack. That helped.”

“His Lieutenant?” Winter said with a raised eyebrow.

Tony shuddered as he remembered Abu Bakaar, the heavy-set man with his false bonhomie and his hard, mean eyes. Raza had always been overtly threatening but Bakaar had hidden his sadistic, manipulative nature behind that fake smile and friendliness.

“Yeah, good point,” he muttered. He frowned a little. “You knew him?”

“I worked with the Ten Rings a few times.”

“Right,” Tony said. “I guess that’s probably in that massive debrief they did with you.”

Winter blinked. “You didn’t read it?”

“Nope,” Tony said with a shake of his head. “That’s for the intelligence agencies and whoever else needs it for closure or whatever. I got my truth in Siberia and afterwards I decided I didn’t want to know unless I absolutely had to know.”

Winter considered that for a moment then he nodded once. “Very well.”

Tony then clapped his hands together. “Okay, since I’ve got you here. You obviously heard about my offer to Barnes so I guess I’ll make the same offer to you since you’ll be using it too. I want to make you an arm.”

Winter gave him a long, baffled look then shook his head and muttered, “Mayfly.”

Tony grinned as Stephen chuckled. “Was that a yes I heard?”

“Yes,” Winter said in a long-suffering tone.

“Good. Think about what you might want and tell Barnes to do the same. I’ll make you a boring regular arm at first so you can get a feel for it, then we can go from there.”

That baffled look returned for a moment then Winter shook his head. “You are very strange.”

Stephen burst out laughing. “Many people have said that,” he said, shooting Tony a teasing look.

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony said with a wave of his hand. “My weirdness works for your benefit so don’t complain.”

“I will talk to Bucky,” Winter said with a nod. He got to his feet. “Thank you for speaking to me.”

Tony leapt to his feet and escorted him to the door. Once he was gone, he closed the door and turned to face Stephen, a glint in his eye.

“Now, Doctor Strange, where were we?”


End file.
